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BitFenix Outlaw Case Review

Closer Look:

As I take away the packaging, I uncover a rather simple case – it is basic and black, but painted on the inside, which is a major bonus for the price. That aside, it sure doesn’t weight much, which might speak for its thin paneling, though I need to open it up first to find out. Before taking a look inside, let’s take a gander at what the outside has to offer.

The front panel has a soft rubbery feel – it is nice and smooth with a flat black finish. I really like the way it looks. However, it will be interesting to see how an optical drive or water bay would mount, considering the curvature on the front edge. I hope it doesn’t look too goofy when a plate or two is removed from the front. The back of the case looks like that of many others – it has seven PCI slots, a 120 mm exhaust fan, a PSU slot, and even a couple of grommet-filled holes for water cooling or any external-to-internal piping needs. It does appear, though, that even from the outside perspective, this case isn’t something you’ll be counting on to support much weight – no sitting on your case!

Moving along, we can really get a feel of the small size of the case. It seems narrower than most cases I’ve used, so I definitely have to wonder if there is any room for cable management on the back panel. Nonetheless, it does have a rather professional look and with no window to expose messy cabling, I’m not too concerned about the issue.

There isn’t much to say about the sides of the case except its touted “backwards” orientation. Compared to most cases these days, you’ll be mounting your motherboard upside-down on the tray. It shouldn’t be too much of an issue, but if you are used to opening up the left side of the case to access your hardware, it may be a good idea to keep this in mind. The right panel provides mounts for two 120 mm fans, which appear to blow over the CPU and GPU areas. While not too aesthetically displeasing, the plain, machine-pounded mesh sections do make the case look a little cheap.

Overall, the case doesn't look too bad – it has a nice simple look that makes a subtle addition to any build. The top of the front panel houses all the case’s key features including the power button, reset button, four USB 2.0 ports, a headphone and mic jack, a red HDD indicator, and a blue power indicator. It’s pretty simple, with everything labeled well. I think it is important to note that the reset button is significantly smaller in size in comparison to that of many other cases. This helps to prevent accidental reboots – a problem I’ve had in the past.

A final look at this Outlaw disappoints me, as it houses no reference to old western shows or the simple cowboys of my childhood. All kidding aside, it does appear to be a pretty nice case on the outside. For the price, this isn’t half bad. Structurally, I can “feel” the price, but I’m pretty confident that the case will be alright, even in the odd occurrence that my fat cat decides to make it his new perch. Let’s open up this case and find out how things go on the inside.